We chose this photo of a peregrine falcon—a female, walking across the rail of a balcony in Chicago—to inspire hope on Endangered Species Day. Not every animal listed as endangered is doomed to extinction. Peregrine populations were decimated by the use of pesticides, such as DDT, in the mid-20th century. The chemicals accumulated in the birds’ bodies, causing weak eggshells and high mortality rates for chicks. But by the 1980s humans had learned the cause, reduced and eliminated the various chemicals, and helped the birds rebound with gusto.
It’s Endangered Species Day
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
A legend and a legendary home
-
State funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
-
Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona
-
The stylish Spanish shawl
-
Why you should thank a nurse today
-
Turning darkness into light
-
Southern lights for Antarctica Day
-
It s Independence Day in Mexico
-
Get the bear facts
-
Happy Mother s Day!
-
In the Himalayas for International Mountain Day
-
Spring comes to the Palouse
-
Salmon return to the Copper River
-
The view will stop you in your tracks
-
Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta
-
A tower of light
-
Forward-thinking women of history
-
Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
-
International Moon Day
-
Poinsettia Day
-
Galeries Lafayette, Paris
-
Let’s celebrate
-
A good time in the Badlands
-
A circular celebration
-
St. Patrick s Day
-
An underwater rainbow
-
Male kori bustard, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
-
Native American Heritage Month
-
Great Fountain Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
-
Haaga Rhododendron Park